WO2016021736A1

WO2016021736A1 - Carbonaceous material for negative electrode of non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery

Info

Publication number: WO2016021736A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/072666
Authority: WO
Inventors: 直弘園部; 清水　和彦
Original assignee: 株式会社クレハ
Priority date: 2014-08-08
Filing date: 2015-08-10
Publication date: 2016-02-11
Also published as: TW201607114A; EP3179543A4; CN106663809A; CN106663809B; JP6450480B2; EP3179543A1; EP3179543B1; US10411261B2; JP6297702B2; KR20170027833A; KR101993539B1; US20170229708A1; JPWO2016021736A1; TWI599092B; JP2018098215A

Abstract

　The purpose of the present invention is to provide a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that has a large charge-discharge capacity, has a small irreversible capacity, which is the difference between a doping capacity and a de-doping capacity, and is able to effectively utilize an active material.　The abovementioned problem is solved by a carbonaceous material for the negative electrode of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, said material being obtained according to a manufacturing method comprising: (1) an alkali impregnation step in which a carbonaceous precursor is impregnated with an alkali metal element or a compound containing an alkali metal element to obtain an alkali-impregnated carbonaceous precursor; and (2) a firing step in which the alkali-impregnated carbonaceous precursor is (a) fired at 800°C to 1500°C in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere. The carbonaceous material is characterized in that the true density is 1.35 to 1.60 g/cm³, the specific surface area determined by the BET method according to nitrogen adsorption is 30 m²/g, the average particle diameter is not more than 50 μm, and the atomic ratio (H/C) of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms, determined according to elemental analysis, is not more than 0.1.

Description

Non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrode carbonaceous material

The present invention relates to a carbonaceous material for a negative electrode of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the carbonaceous material for negative electrodes of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery which has a high discharge capacity and shows the outstanding charging / discharging efficiency can be provided.

Small mobile devices such as mobile phones and notebook PCs are becoming more advanced, and the secondary battery that is the power source is expected to have higher energy density. As a high energy density secondary battery, a non-aqueous solvent type lithium secondary battery using a carbonaceous material as a negative electrode has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

In recent years, due to increasing interest in environmental issues, large secondary batteries with high energy density and excellent output characteristics are being installed in electric vehicles. For example, it is expected to spread in automobile applications such as an electric vehicle (EV) driven only by a motor, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) combining an internal combustion engine and a motor, or a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). Yes. In particular, a lithium ion secondary battery that is a non-aqueous solvent type lithium secondary battery is widely used as a secondary battery having a high energy density, and in order to extend the cruising distance in one charge in EV applications, High energy density is expected.

For high energy density, it is necessary to increase the lithium doping and dedoping capacity of the negative electrode material. As a negative electrode material, the theoretical capacity capable of storing lithium of the graphite material mainly used at present is 372 Ah. / Kg, which is theoretically limited. Furthermore, when an electrode is configured using a graphite material, a graphite intercalation compound is formed when the graphite material is doped with lithium, and the interlayer spacing is increased. By de-doping lithium doped between layers, the layer spacing is restored. Therefore, in a graphite material with a developed graphite structure, repetition of lithium doping and dedoping (repetition of charge and discharge in a secondary battery) causes an increase in the inter-layer spacing and repetition of recovery, resulting in destruction of graphite crystals. Cheap. Therefore, it is said that a secondary battery constructed using graphite or a graphite material having a developed graphite structure is inferior in charge / discharge repetition characteristics. Furthermore, in a battery using such a graphite material having a developed graphite structure, there is a problem that the electrolytic solution is easily decomposed during battery operation.

On the other hand, alloy-type negative electrode materials such as tin and silicon have been proposed as materials having a high capacity, but their durability is not sufficient and their use is limited.

On the other hand, non-graphitic carbon materials are excellent in durability and have a high capacity exceeding the theoretical capacity that can store lithium in graphite materials by weight, so that various proposals have been made as high-capacity negative electrode materials. For example, it has been proposed to use a carbonaceous material obtained by firing a phenol resin as a negative electrode material for a secondary battery (Patent Document 2). However, when a negative electrode is manufactured using a carbonaceous material obtained by baking a phenol resin at a high temperature, for example, 1900 ° C. or higher, there is a problem that the negative electrode carbon has a small amount of doping and dedoping of an active material such as lithium. was there. In addition, when a negative electrode is manufactured using a carbonaceous material obtained by heat-treating a phenol resin at a relatively low temperature, for example, about 480 to 700 ° C., the doping amount of lithium as an active material is large, which is preferable from this viewpoint. However, there is a problem that lithium doped in the negative electrode carbon is not completely dedope, and a large amount of lithium remains in the negative electrode carbon, so that lithium as an active material is wasted.

Further, in the process of producing the carbonaceous material, a process of obtaining a halogenated carbonized carbon by bringing a halogen-containing gas into contact with the carbonized carbon, and a dehalogenation process by removing a part or all of the halogen in the carbonized carbonized carbon. There has been proposed a method for producing carbon for a lithium secondary battery, which includes a dehalogenation step for obtaining charcoal and a pore preparation step for bringing the dehalogenated coal into contact with a pyrolytic hydrocarbon (Patent Document 3). In this method, high doping and dedoping capacity can be obtained, but lithium doped in the negative electrode carbon is not completely dedoped, a large amount of lithium remains in the negative electrode carbon, and lithium as an active material is wasted. There was a problem that.

JP-A-57-208079 JP 58-209864 A International Publication No. 97/01192 JP-A-9-204918 JP 2006-264991 A JP 2006-264993 A

An object of the present invention is to provide a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery that has a large charge / discharge capacity, a small irreversible capacity that is a difference between a doping capacity and a dedoping capacity, and that can effectively use an active material. It is. Furthermore, the objective of this invention is providing the carbonaceous material for secondary battery electrodes used for the said battery, and its manufacturing method.

As a result of intensive studies on a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery having a high charge / discharge capacity and a small irreversible capacity, the inventor has surprisingly found that the true density obtained by a specific manufacturing method is 1.35 to 1. It has been found that a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery using a carbonaceous material of .60 g / cm ³ as a negative electrode material exhibits a high discharge capacity. Specifically, a carbonaceous material obtained by adding a compound containing an alkali metal element to a carbonaceous precursor and firing the carbonaceous precursor has an excellent discharge capacity as an active material for a negative electrode of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery. It was found to show.
The present invention is based on these findings.
Therefore, the present invention
[1] (1) An alkali metal obtained by adding a compound containing an alkali metal element to a carbonaceous precursor to obtain an alkali metal compound-added carbonaceous precursor (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an alkali-added carbonaceous precursor). A compound impregnation step (hereinafter sometimes referred to as an alkali addition step), and (2) the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor,
(A) main calcination at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, or (b) pre-calcination at 400 ° C. or more and less than 800 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, and in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere A main baking at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C.
A carbonaceous material obtained by a production method comprising:
The true density is 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ , the specific surface area determined by the BET method by nitrogen adsorption is 30 m ² / g or less, the average particle diameter is 50 μm or less, and the hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms determined by elemental analysis A carbonaceous material for a negative electrode of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, wherein the atomic ratio (H / C) is 0.1 or less,
[2] The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to [1], wherein the carbonaceous precursor uses petroleum pitch or tar, coal pitch or tar, a thermoplastic resin, or a thermosetting resin as a carbon source. Carbonaceous material for negative electrode,
[3] The firing step (2) (a)
(2) Firing step in which the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor is (a1) main-fired at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere and the alkali metal and the compound containing the alkali metal element are removed by washing. Or the baking step (2) (b) is (2) pre-baking the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor (b1) in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere at 400 ° C. or higher and lower than 800 ° C. A compound containing a metal and an alkali metal element is removed by washing, and is subjected to main firing at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, or (b2) 400 in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere. Pre-calcined at a temperature not lower than 800 ° C. and lower than 800 ° C., followed by main baking at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, and alkali metals and alkali metals Is removed by washing the compound containing iodine, a firing process, [1] or [2] a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrode carbon materials as described in,
[4] A negative electrode for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising the carbonaceous material according to any one of [1] to [3],
[5] A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising the carbonaceous material according to any one of [1] to [3],
[6] (1) A compound containing an alkali metal element is added to a carbonaceous precursor having an oxygen content of 1 to 25% by weight, and the addition amount of the compound containing the alkali metal element (hereinafter referred to as alkali addition amount). Is an alkali deposition step for obtaining an alkali-adhered carbonaceous precursor of 0.5 to 40% by weight, and when the oxygen content is 1% by weight or more and less than 9% by weight, the alkali deposition amount is 4 to 4%. 40% by weight, when the oxygen content is 9 to 25% by weight, an alkali deposition step with an alkali deposition amount of 0.5 to 40% by weight; and (2) the alkali-implanted carbonaceous precursor (a) ) Main calcination in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C., or (b) Pre-calcining in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere at 400 ° C. or more and less than 800 ° C., and 800 in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere ℃ ～ 150 ℃ to the firing, the firing step, a method of manufacturing a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrode carbonaceous material comprising,
[7] The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to [6], wherein the carbonaceous precursor uses petroleum pitch or tar, coal pitch or tar, a thermoplastic resin, or a thermosetting resin as a carbon source. Manufacturing method of carbonaceous material for negative electrode,
[8] The calcination step (2) (a) comprises (2) main calcination of the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor at (800) to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, It is a calcination step in which the compound containing the alkali metal element is removed by washing, or the calcination step (2) (b) is (2) the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor, (b1) a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere A baking process in which preliminary baking is performed at 400 ° C. or more and less than 800 ° C., a compound containing an alkali metal and an alkali metal element is removed by washing, and main baking is performed at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere. Or (b2) pre-baking at 400 ° C. or more and less than 800 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, and main baking at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere; Is removed by washing the compound containing an alkali metal and an alkali metal element to a firing step, the non-process manufacture of aqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrode carbonaceous material, and articles according to [6] or [7].
Patent Document 4 discloses a carbonaceous material containing 0.1 to 5.0% by weight in terms of elements of at least one of alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, and phosphorus. Secondary batteries using these carbonaceous materials could not obtain a high charge / discharge capacity. Patent Documents 5 and 6 disclose carbon materials obtained by supporting an alkali metal-containing compound on the surface of a resin composition or the like and subjecting it to carbonization. However, secondary batteries using these carbon materials have also failed to obtain a high discharge capacity.

The carbonaceous material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrode of the present invention is considered to have a pore structure suitable for storing lithium and a surface structure with low reactivity. Therefore, it has high doping capacity and dedoping capacity, and can further reduce irreversible capacity generated during initial doping and dedoping. And the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery which has a high energy density can be obtained by using the carbonaceous material of this invention as a negative electrode material.
Furthermore, the carbonaceous material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrode of the present invention can suppress an increase in specific surface area by removing a compound containing an alkali metal element after preliminary firing.

[1] Carbonaceous material for negative electrode of nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery The carbonaceous material for negative electrode of nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention includes (1) a compound containing an alkali metal element added to a carbonaceous precursor, An alkali-adding step for obtaining an impregnated carbonaceous precursor, and (2) firing the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, or (b) It is a carbonaceous material obtained by a production method including a firing step, which is pre-fired at 400 ° C. or higher and lower than 800 ° C. in an oxidizing gas atmosphere, and is finally fired at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere. . The carbonaceous material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrode of the present invention has a true density of 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ , a specific surface area determined by a BET method by nitrogen adsorption of 30 m ² / g or less, an average The particle diameter is 50 μm or less, and the atomic ratio (H / C) of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms determined by elemental analysis is 0.1 or less.

(1) Method for Producing Carbonaceous Material for Nonaqueous Electrolyte Secondary Battery Negative Electrode The carbonaceous material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrode of the present invention is obtained by a method including the alkali deposition step (1) and the firing step (2). Can be manufactured. In the alkali addition step (1), preferably, (1) a compound containing an alkali metal element is added to a carbonaceous precursor having an oxygen content of 1 to 25% by weight or more, and the amount of the compound containing the alkali metal element is added. Is an alkali-adding step for obtaining an alkali-added carbonaceous precursor of 0.5 to 40% by weight, and when the oxygen content is 1% by weight or more and less than 9% by weight, the alkali-added amount is 4 to 40% by weight. When the oxygen content is 9 to 25% by weight, the alkali adhesion amount is 0.5 to 40% by weight.

<< Alkali attachment process (1) >>
In the alkali deposition step (1), a compound containing an alkali metal element is added to the carbonaceous precursor.

(Carbonaceous precursor)
The carbonaceous precursor that is the carbon source of the carbonaceous material of the present invention may be a carbon material having a composition in which the carbon element content is 80 wt% or more when heat-treated at 1100 ° C. or higher in a non-oxidizing atmosphere. If it does not specifically limit.
When the carbonization yield of the carbonaceous precursor at 1100 ° C. is too low, the ratio of the alkali metal element or the alkali metal compound to the carbonaceous precursor is excessive in the firing step (2) described later, and the specific surface area is increased. This is not preferable because it causes a reaction. Therefore, the carbonization yield when the carbonaceous precursor is heat-treated at 1100 ° C. in a non-oxidizing atmosphere is preferably 30% by weight or more, more preferably 40% by weight or more, and further preferably 50% by weight. % Or more.
The carbonaceous precursor in the present specification is not limited, but the atomic ratio (H / C) of hydrogen atom to carbon atom is 0.05 or more, more preferably 0.15 or more, particularly preferably. The thing of 0.30 or more is preferable. It is conceivable that the carbon precursor having an H / C of less than 0.05 is fired before the alkali deposition. Such a carbonaceous precursor cannot be sufficiently impregnated inside the carbon precursor with an alkali metal element or the like even when alkali-added. Therefore, even if baking is performed after alkali addition, it may be difficult to form sufficient voids that allow a large amount of lithium to be doped and dedoped.

The carbon source of the carbonaceous precursor is not particularly limited. For example, petroleum-based pitch or tar, coal-based pitch or tar, or thermoplastic resin (for example, ketone resin, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene terephthalate, polyacetal, polyacetal) Acrylonitrile, styrene / divinylbenzene copolymer, polyimide, polycarbonate, modified polyphenylene ether, polybutylene terephthalate, polyarylate, polysulfone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyimide resin, fluororesin, polyamideimide, aramid resin, or polyetheretherketone), heat Curable resin (for example, epoxy resin, urethane resin, urea resin, diallyl phthalate resin, polyester resin, polycarbonate resin, silicone resin, polyaceter Resins, nylon resins, furan resins, phenol resins, melamine resins, amino resins and amide resin).
The true density of the carbonaceous material of the present invention is 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ . As a carbonaceous precursor, when using petroleum pitch or tar, coal pitch or tar, or a thermoplastic resin as a carbon source, a non-graphitizable carbonaceous precursor is obtained by a crosslinking (infusibilization) treatment such as an oxidation treatment. It can be. Therefore, it is preferable to infusibilize, but the carbonaceous material of the present invention can also be obtained without infusibilization. The non-graphitizable carbon precursor is preferable because a high capacity can be obtained by adding a small amount of alkali compared to the graphitizable carbon precursor. The purpose of the crosslinking treatment for tar or pitch is to continuously control the structure of the tar or pitch subjected to crosslinking treatment from an easily graphitizable carbon precursor to a hardly graphitizable carbon precursor. Tars or pitches include petroleum-based tars or pitches produced as a by-product during ethylene production, coal tars produced during coal carbonization, heavy components or pitches obtained by distilling off low boiling components of coal tars, tars obtained by coal liquefaction And pitch. Two or more of these tars or pitches may be mixed and used.

(Infusibilization process)
Examples of the method of crosslinking treatment such as petroleum pitch or tar, coal pitch or tar, or a thermoplastic resin include a method using a crosslinking agent or a treatment method using an oxidizing agent such as air.

When a crosslinking agent is used, a crosslinking agent is added to petroleum pitch or tar, coal pitch or tar, and the mixture is heated and mixed to proceed a crosslinking reaction to obtain a carbon precursor. For example, as the crosslinking agent, polyfunctional vinyl monomers such as divinylbenzene, trivinylbenzene, diallyl phthalate, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, or N, N-methylenebisacrylamide that undergo a crosslinking reaction by radical reaction can be used. The crosslinking reaction with the polyfunctional vinyl monomer is started by adding a radical initiator. As radical initiators, α, α ′ azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), benzoyl peroxide (BPO), lauroyl peroxide, cumene hydroperoxide, dicumyl peroxide, 1-butyl hydroperoxide, or hydrogen peroxide Etc. can be used.

Also, when the crosslinking reaction is advanced by treatment with an oxidizing agent such as air, it is preferable to obtain a carbon precursor by the following method. That is, to a petroleum-based or coal-based pitch or the like, a bicyclic to tricyclic aromatic compound having a boiling point of 200 ° C. or higher or a mixture thereof is added as an additive, heated and mixed, and then molded to obtain a pitch molded body. Next, the solvent having a low solubility with respect to the pitch and a high solubility with respect to the additive is extracted and removed from the pitch molded body to form a porous pitch, and then oxidized with an oxidizing agent. A carbon precursor is obtained. The purpose of the aromatic additive is to extract and remove the additive from the molded pitch molded body to make the molded body porous, to facilitate crosslinking treatment by oxidation, and to obtain a carbonaceous material obtained after carbonization. To make it porous. Such additives can be selected from one or a mixture of two or more such as naphthalene, methylnaphthalene, phenylnaphthalene, benzylnaphthalene, methylanthracene, phenanthrene, or biphenyl. The amount added to the pitch is preferably in the range of 30 to 70 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the pitch. The pitch and additive are mixed in a molten state by heating in order to achieve uniform mixing. The mixture of pitch and additive is preferably formed into particles having a particle size of 1 mm or less so that the additive can be easily extracted from the mixture. Molding may be performed in a molten state, or may be performed by pulverizing the mixture after cooling. Solvents for extracting and removing the additive from the mixture of pitch and additive include aliphatic hydrocarbons such as butane, pentane, hexane, or heptane, mixtures mainly composed of aliphatic hydrocarbons such as naphtha or kerosene, methanol, Aliphatic alcohols such as ethanol, propanol or butanol are preferred. By extracting the additive from the pitch and additive mixture molded body with such a solvent, the additive can be removed from the molded body while maintaining the shape of the molded body. At this time, it is presumed that a through hole for the additive is formed in the molded body, and a pitch molded body having uniform porosity is obtained.

Further, as a method for preparing the porous pitch formed body, the following method can be used in addition to the above method. A petroleum-based or coal-based pitch or the like is pulverized to an average particle diameter (median diameter) of 60 μm or less to form a fine powder pitch, and then the fine powder pitch, preferably an average particle diameter (median diameter) of 5 μm or more and 40 μm or less. A porous compression molded body can be formed by compression molding the shape pitch. An existing molding machine can be used for compression molding, and specific examples include a single-shot vertical molding machine, a continuous rotary molding machine, and a roll compression molding machine, but are not limited thereto. The pressure at the time of compression molding is preferably 20 to 100 MPa as a surface pressure or 0.1 to 6 MN / m as a linear pressure, more preferably 23 to 86 MPa as a surface pressure or 0.2 to 3 MN / m as a linear pressure. m. The pressure holding time at the time of the compression molding can be appropriately determined according to the type of molding machine, the properties of the fine powder pitch, and the processing amount, but is generally within the range of 0.1 second to 1 minute. When compression molding a fine powdery pitch, a binder (binder) may be blended as necessary. Specific examples of the binder include water, starch, methylcellulose, polyethylene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyurethane, and phenol resin, but are not necessarily limited thereto. The shape of the porous pitch molded body obtained by compression molding is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include granular, columnar, spherical, pellet, plate, honeycomb, block, and Raschig rings.

In order to crosslink the resulting porous pitch, it is then oxidized with an oxidizing agent, preferably at a temperature of 120 to 400 ° C. As the oxidizing agent, O ₂ , O ₃ , NO ₂ , a mixed gas obtained by diluting them with air or nitrogen, or an oxidizing gas such as air, or an oxidizing liquid such as sulfuric acid, nitric acid, or hydrogen peroxide water is used. be able to. It is simple and economical to oxidize at 120 to 400 ° C. and carry out a crosslinking treatment using a gas containing oxygen such as air or a mixed gas of air and other gas such as combustion gas as an oxidizing agent. Is also advantageous. In this case, if the softening point such as pitch is low, the pitch melts during oxidation and it becomes difficult to oxidize. Therefore, the pitch or the like used preferably has a softening point of 150 ° C. or higher.

The carbonaceous precursor need not be pulverized, but can be pulverized in order to reduce the particle size. The pulverization can be performed before infusibilization, after infusibilization (before alkali addition), and / or after alkali addition. That is, the particle size suitable for infusibilization, the particle size suitable for alkali attachment, or the particle size suitable for firing can be obtained. The pulverizer used for pulverization is not particularly limited, and for example, a jet mill, a rod mill, a vibration ball mill, or a hammer mill can be used.
As described above, the order of pulverization is not limited. However, in order to obtain a high charge / discharge capacity which is an effect of the present invention, it is preferable to uniformly add an alkali to the carbonaceous precursor and perform firing. Therefore, it is preferable to grind before alkali addition, and specifically, it is preferable to carry out in the order of the grinding step, the alkali addition step (1), and the firing step (2). In order to obtain the particle size of the carbonaceous material finally obtained, it is preferable to grind to an average particle size of 1 to 50 μm in the grinding step.

The average particle size of the carbonaceous precursor is not limited, but if the average particle size is too large, the alkali metal compound may be non-uniformly attached, and a high charge / discharge capacity may not be obtained. is there. Accordingly, the upper limit of the average particle size of the carbonaceous precursor is preferably 600 μm or less, more preferably 100 μm or less, and even more preferably 50 μm or less. On the other hand, if the average particle size is too small, the specific surface area increases, thereby increasing the irreversible capacity. In addition, scattering of particles may increase. Therefore, the lower limit of the average particle diameter of the carbonaceous precursor is preferably 1 μm or more, more preferably 3 μm or more, and further preferably 5 μm or more.

(Oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree))
The oxygen content when the carbonaceous precursor is infusible by oxidation is not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention can be obtained. In the present specification, the oxygen contained in the carbonaceous precursor may be oxygen contained by oxidation (infusibilization) or originally contained oxygen. However, in this specification, when the carbon precursor is infusible by oxidation, the oxygen atoms incorporated into the carbon precursor by the oxidation reaction often serve to crosslink the carbon precursor molecules. Oxygen crosslinking degree may be used in the same meaning as oxygen content.
Here, when the infusibilization treatment by oxygen crosslinking is not performed, the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) may be 0% by weight, but the lower limit of the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) is preferably 1% by weight or more. More preferably, it is 2% by weight or more, more preferably 4% by weight or more, and most preferably 9% by weight or more. If it is less than 1% by weight, the true density is increased and the space for storing lithium is decreased, which is not preferable. The upper limit of the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) is preferably 25% by weight or less, more preferably 20% by weight or less, and still more preferably 18% by weight or less. Exceeding 25% by weight is not preferable because the true density decreases and the charge / discharge capacity per volume may decrease.

(True density of carbon precursor)
Since the true density of the carbon material varies depending on the arrangement of the hexagonal mesh plane, so-called fine structure and crystal perfection, the true density of the carbonaceous material is effective as an index indicating the structure of carbon. Although the carbonaceous material is converted into a carbonaceous material by heat treatment of the carbonaceous precursor, the true density of the carbonaceous material obtained by treating the carbonaceous precursor at a specific treatment temperature changes with the heat treatment temperature. It is effective as an index indicating the structure of the precursor. The true density of the carbonaceous precursor is not particularly limited as long as the true density of the obtained carbonaceous material is 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ . However, the lower limit of the true density of the carbonaceous material when the carbonaceous precursor suitably used in the present invention is heat-treated at 1100 ° C. for 1 hour in a nitrogen gas atmosphere is preferably 1.40 g / cm ^{3 or} more, more preferably 1.45 g / cm ³ or more, further preferably 1.50 g / cm ³ or more. The upper limit of the true density is preferably not 1.70 g / cm ³ or less, more preferably 1.65 g / cm ³ or less, further preferably 1.60 g / cm ³ or less. When the carbonaceous precursor is heat-treated at 1100 ° C. for 1 hour in a nitrogen gas atmosphere, the true density of the carbonaceous material is 1.40 to 1.70 g / cm ^3. .35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ .

(Alkali metal elements or compounds containing alkali metal elements)
As the alkali metal element contained in the alkali metal compound attached to the carbonaceous precursor, an alkali metal element such as lithium, sodium, or potassium can be used. Lithium compounds have a problem that the effect of expanding the space is low compared to other alkali metal compounds, and the amount of reserves is small compared to other alkali metal elements. On the other hand, potassium compounds produce metal potassium when heat-treated in a reducing atmosphere in the presence of carbon, but metal potassium is more reactive with moisture than other alkali metal elements and is particularly dangerous. There is. From such a viewpoint, sodium is preferable as the alkali metal element. By using sodium, a carbonaceous material exhibiting a particularly high charge / discharge capacity can be obtained.
The alkali metal element may be attached to the carbonaceous precursor in a metal state, but a compound containing an alkali metal element such as a hydroxide, carbonate, hydrogen carbonate, or halogen compound (hereinafter referred to as an alkali metal compound or an alkali). (It may be called a compound). The alkali metal compound is not limited, but is preferably a hydroxide or carbonate because it has high permeability and can be uniformly impregnated into the carbonaceous precursor, and hydroxide is particularly preferred.

(Alkali-added carbonaceous precursor)
An alkali-added carbonaceous precursor can be obtained by adding an alkali metal element or an alkali metal compound to the carbonaceous precursor. The addition method of an alkali metal element or an alkali metal compound is not limited. For example, a predetermined amount of an alkali metal element or an alkali metal compound may be mixed in a powder form with respect to the carbonaceous precursor. Moreover, an alkali metal compound is dissolved in an appropriate solvent to prepare an alkali metal compound solution. After mixing the alkali metal compound solution with the carbonaceous precursor, the solvent may be volatilized to prepare a carbonaceous precursor to which the alkali metal compound is attached. Specifically, although not limited thereto, an alkali metal hydroxide such as sodium hydroxide is dissolved in water as a good solvent to form an aqueous solution, which is then added to the carbonaceous precursor. After heating to 50 ° C. or higher, the alkali metal compound can be added to the carbonaceous precursor by removing water at normal pressure or reduced pressure. The carbon precursor is often hydrophobic, and when the affinity of the alkaline aqueous solution is low, the affinity of the alkaline aqueous solution for the carbonaceous precursor can be improved by appropriately adding an alcohol. When an alkali metal hydroxide is used, when an addition treatment is performed in the air, the alkali metal hydroxide absorbs carbon dioxide, and the alkali metal hydroxide changes to an alkali metal carbonate, resulting in a carbonaceous precursor. Therefore, it is preferable to reduce the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere. The moisture may be removed as long as the fluidity of the alkali-added carbon precursor can be maintained.

The addition amount of the alkali metal compound attached to the carbonaceous precursor is not particularly limited, but the upper limit of the addition amount is preferably 40.0% by weight or less, more preferably 30.0% by weight or less. More preferably, it is 20.0% by weight or less. When the amount of the alkali metal compound is too large, alkali activation occurs excessively. For this reason, the specific surface area increases, which increases the irreversible capacity, which is not preferable. The lower limit of the addition amount is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.5% by weight or more, more preferably 1.0% by weight or more, and further preferably 3.5% by weight or more. Yes, most preferably 4% by weight or more. If the amount of the alkali metal compound added is too small, it becomes difficult to form a pore structure for doping and dedoping, which is not preferable.

(Relationship between oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) and alkali adhesion amount)
In order to obtain a carbonaceous material having a true density of 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ^{3 according} to the present invention, it is preferable to optimize the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) and the amount of alkali adhesion. In other words, the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) and the amount of alkali adhesion can be adjusted so that the true density is 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ . Specifically, when the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) is low and the amount of alkali adhesion is low, the true density exceeds 1.60 g / cm ³ as in Comparative Examples 3 and 5, so A carbonaceous material capable of obtaining a discharge capacity cannot be produced. For example, when the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) is 1% by weight or more and less than 9% by weight and the alkali adhesion amount is less than 4% by weight, the true density may exceed 1.60 g / cm ³ , A carbonaceous material exhibiting a discharge capacity may not be obtained. However, when the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) is low, the true density can be reduced to 1.60 g / cm ³ or less by increasing the alkali addition amount. When the alkali addition amount is low, the true density can be reduced to 1.60 g / cm ³ or less by increasing the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree).
Therefore, in the production method of the present invention, the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) of the carbonaceous precursor is 1 to 25 wt% or more, and the alkali addition amount of the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor is 0.5 to 40 wt. %, When the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) is 1% by weight or more and less than 9% by weight and the alkali deposition amount is 0.5% or more and less than 4% by weight, the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) and alkali Excluded from the range of attachment amount combinations. Therefore, when the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) is 1% by weight or more and less than 9% by weight, the alkali adhesion amount is 4% by weight or more, and when the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) is 9 to 25% by weight. The alkali adhesion amount is 0.5 to 40% by weight.

<< Baking process (2) >>
In the firing step, the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor is subjected to (a) main firing at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, or (b) 400 ° C. to 800 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere. And calcining at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere. In the firing step for obtaining the carbonaceous material for the negative electrode of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention, preliminary firing may be performed according to the operation of (b), followed by main firing. According to the operation, the main baking may be performed without performing the preliminary baking.

(Preliminary firing)
Pre-calcination can remove volatiles such as CO ₂ , CO, CH ₄ , H ₂ , and tar. Further, when the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor is directly heat-treated at a high temperature, a large amount of decomposition products are generated from the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor. These decomposition products cause a secondary decomposition reaction at high temperatures and may adhere to the surface of the carbon material, causing deterioration of battery performance, and may adhere to the firing furnace and cause clogging in the furnace. Therefore, it is preferable to perform preliminary baking before the main baking to reduce decomposition products during the main baking. If the pre-baking temperature is too low, the decomposition products may not be sufficiently removed. On the other hand, if the pre-baking temperature is too high, the decomposition product may cause a reaction such as a secondary decomposition reaction. The pre-baking temperature is preferably 400 ° C. or higher and lower than 800 ° C., more preferably 500 ° C. or higher and lower than 800 ° C. When the pre-baking temperature is less than 400 ° C., detarring becomes insufficient, and there is a large amount of tar and gas generated in the main baking process after pulverization, which may adhere to the particle surface. If not, battery performance may be degraded. On the other hand, when the pre-baking temperature is 800 ° C. or higher, the tar generation temperature region is exceeded, and the energy efficiency to be used may be reduced. Furthermore, the generated tar may cause a secondary decomposition reaction, which may adhere to the carbon precursor and cause a decrease in performance.

Pre-baking is performed in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, and examples of the non-oxidizing gas include helium, nitrogen, and argon. Pre-baking can also be performed under reduced pressure, for example, 10 kPa or less. The pre-baking time is not particularly limited, but can be performed, for example, in 0.5 to 10 hours, and more preferably 1 to 5 hours.

(Pulverization)
Since the amount of the alkali metal element or alkali metal compound is uniform and penetration into the carbonaceous precursor becomes easy, it is preferable to add the carbonaceous precursor with a small particle size. Therefore, it is preferable to pulverize the carbonaceous precursor before preliminary firing, but the carbonaceous precursor may melt at the time of preliminary firing. Adjustments may be made. The pulverization can be performed after carbonization (after the main calcination). However, since the carbon precursor becomes hard as the carbonization reaction proceeds, it becomes difficult to control the particle size distribution by pulverization. After pre-baking at a temperature not higher than ° C., before the main baking is preferable. By grinding, the average particle diameter of the carbonaceous material of the present invention can be reduced to 1 to 50 μm. The pulverizer used for pulverization is not particularly limited, and for example, a jet mill, a rod mill, a vibrating ball mill, or a hammer mill can be used. A jet mill equipped with a classifier is preferable.

(Washing of alkali metals and alkali metal compounds)
In the firing step (2) of the present invention, it is preferable to remove the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound (washing the alkali compound). When a large amount of alkali metal and alkali metal compound remain in the carbonaceous material, the carbonaceous material becomes strongly alkaline. For example, when a negative electrode is produced using PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) as a binder, PVDF may gel if the carbonaceous material exhibits strong alkalinity. In addition, when the alkali metal remains in the carbonaceous material, it is considered that the alkali metal moves to the counter electrode during the discharge of the secondary battery and adversely affects the charge / discharge characteristics. Therefore, it is preferable to remove the alkali metal compound from the carbonaceous precursor.
That is, the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound are washed in order to prevent the alkali metal compound from remaining in the carbonaceous material. When the amount of the alkali metal element or the like is small, the remaining amount of the alkali metal is small, but the lithium doping / undoping capacity tends to decrease. Further, when the firing temperature is high, the alkali metal is volatilized and the remaining amount is reduced. However, when the firing temperature is too high, the space for storing lithium is reduced, and the lithium doping / dedoping capacity is lowered, which is not preferable. Accordingly, when the amount of alkali metal element or the like is large and when the firing temperature is low, it is preferable to wash the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound to reduce the remaining amount of alkali metal. The case where the amount of the alkali metal element or the like is large is not particularly limited, but examples include cases where the amount exceeds 15.0% by weight. That is, for example, when the amount of alkali adhesion is 20.0% by weight or more, 25.0% by weight or more, 30.0% by weight or more, it is preferable to wash the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound.

Although washing of the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound is not limited, it can be performed before or after the main baking. Accordingly, the firing step (2) (a) comprises (2) subjecting the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor to (a1) main firing at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, and alkali metal and alkali A firing step in which the compound containing the metal element is removed by washing may be used. In the firing step (2) (b), (2) the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor is pre-fired at (b1) in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere at 400 ° C. or more and less than 800 ° C. to obtain alkali metal and alkali It may be a calcination step in which the compound containing the metal element is removed by washing and calcination is performed at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, or (2) the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor is (B2) Pre-baking at 400 ° C. or more and less than 800 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, main baking at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, and washing a compound containing an alkali metal and an alkali metal element It may be a firing step that is removed by the above.

The removal of the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound can be performed according to a usual method. Specifically, the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound can be removed in a gas phase or a liquid phase. In the case of a gas phase, the heat treatment is performed at a temperature higher than the boiling points of the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound, and these are volatilized. Moreover, in the case of a liquid phase, it can carry out as follows.
In order to remove the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound from the carbonaceous precursor by washing, the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor can be pulverized as it is to form fine particles, and then immersed in an acid such as hydrochloric acid or water for treatment. preferable. That is, acid washing or water washing is preferable, and water washing in which treatment is performed by immersing in water is particularly preferable. The acid or water to be used may be one at normal temperature, but one heated (for example, hot water) may be used. If the particle size of the object to be treated at the time of washing the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound is large, the washing rate may be lowered. The average particle size of the workpiece is preferably 100 μm or less, more preferably 50 μm or less. The washing of the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound is not limited, but it is advantageous to improve the washing rate by applying it to the carbon precursor obtained by preliminary firing.

The alkali compound can be washed by immersing the object in acid such as hydrochloric acid or water to extract and remove the alkali metal element or alkali metal compound. The immersion treatment for cleaning the alkali metal compound is effective in improving the cleaning rate by repeatedly performing the immersion treatment for a short time rather than performing one immersion treatment for a long time. Washing of the alkali metal compound may be performed by immersion twice or more after the immersion treatment with acids.

(Main firing)
The main calcination in the production method of the present invention can be performed according to a normal main calcination procedure, and a carbonaceous material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrode can be obtained by performing the main calcination. The firing temperature is 800 to 1500 ° C. The lower limit of the main firing temperature of the present invention is 800 ° C. or higher, more preferably 1100 ° C. or higher, and particularly preferably 1150 ° C. or higher. If the heat treatment temperature is too low, carbonization is insufficient and the irreversible capacity may increase. Further, by raising the heat treatment temperature, it becomes possible to volatilize and remove the alkali metal from the carbonaceous material, and it is possible to remove the alkali metal compound by washing with water. Conversely, when the heat treatment temperature is low, the alkali may not be sufficiently removed. In addition, many functional groups remain in the carbonaceous material and the H / C value increases, and the irreversible capacity may increase due to reaction with lithium. On the other hand, the upper limit of the main calcination temperature of the present invention is 1500 ° C. or less, more preferably 1400 ° C. or less, and particularly preferably 1300 ° C. or less. When the main firing temperature exceeds 1500 ° C., voids formed as lithium storage sites may decrease, and doping and dedoping capacity may decrease. That is, the selective orientation of the carbon hexagonal plane is increased and the discharge capacity may be reduced.

The main firing is preferably performed in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere. Examples of the non-oxidizing gas include helium, nitrogen, and argon, and these can be used alone or in combination. Moreover, this baking can also be performed under reduced pressure, for example, can also be performed at 10 kPa or less. Although the time for the main baking is not particularly limited, it can be performed, for example, in 0.1 to 10 hours, preferably 0.3 to 8 hours, and more preferably 0.4 to 6 hours.

(2) Physical properties of carbonaceous material for negative electrode of nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery The carbonaceous material for negative electrode of nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention has a true density of 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ and a BET by nitrogen adsorption. The specific surface area determined by the method is 30 m ² / g or less, the average particle diameter is 50 μm or less, and the atomic ratio (H / C) of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms determined by elemental analysis is 0.1 or less.

(True density)
The true density of the graphite material having an ideal structure is 2.27 g / cm ³ , and the true density tends to decrease as the crystal structure is disturbed. Therefore, the true density can be used as an index representing the structure of carbon. The true density in this specification is measured by a butanol method.
The true density of the carbonaceous material of the present invention is 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ . The upper limit of the true density is preferably 1.58 g / cm ³ or less, more preferably 1.55 g / cm ³ or less. The lower limit of the true density is preferably 1.38 g / cm ³ or more, more preferably 1.40 g / cm ³ or more. A carbonaceous material having a true density exceeding 1.60 g / cm ³ has few pores of a size that can store lithium and may have a small doping and dedoping capacity. Further, since the increase in true density is accompanied by selective orientation of the carbon hexagonal plane, it is not preferable because the carbonaceous material often involves expansion and contraction during lithium doping and dedoping. On the other hand, a carbonaceous material of less than 1.35 g / cm ³ may not be able to maintain a stable structure as a lithium storage site because the electrolyte solution penetrates into the pores. Furthermore, since the electrode density is lowered, the volume energy density may be lowered.
The true density of the carbonaceous material of the present invention varies depending on the raw material of the carbonaceous precursor, the oxygen content, the alkali addition amount, and the like. For example, in general, the raw material of the carbonaceous precursor tends to have a higher true density in coal than in petroleum, and the carbonaceous material made from coal has a true density exceeding 1.60 g / cm ^3. There is. Further, as shown in Comparative Examples 3 and 5 described later, when either or both of the oxygen content and the alkali adhesion amount are low, the true density may exceed 1.60 g / cm ³ . A person skilled in the art can control the true density to 1.60 g / cm ³ or less by controlling the oxygen content and the alkali addition amount. That is, infusibilization treatment (oxygen crosslinking or oxygen content) and alkali attachment can be controlled so that the true density is 1.60 g / cm ³ or less.

(Specific surface area)
The specific surface area can be obtained by an approximate expression derived from the BET expression by nitrogen adsorption. The specific surface area of the carbonaceous material of the present invention is 30 m ² / g or less. When the specific surface area exceeds 30 m ² / g, the reaction with the electrolytic solution increases, leading to an increase in irreversible capacity, and thus battery performance may be reduced. The upper limit of the specific surface area is preferably 30 m ² / g or less, more preferably 20 m ² / g or less, and particularly preferably 10 m ² / g or less. Further, the lower limit of the specific surface area is not particularly limited, but if the specific surface area is less than 0.5 m ² / g, the input / output characteristics may be lowered, so the lower limit of the specific surface area is preferably 0.5 m. ² / g or more.

(Average particle diameter _Dv50 )
The average particle diameter (D _v50 ) of the carbonaceous material of the present invention is 1 to 50 μm. The lower limit of the average particle diameter is preferably 1 μm or more, more preferably 1.5 μm or more, and particularly preferably 2.0 μm or more. When the average particle diameter is less than 1 μm, the specific surface area is increased by increasing the fine powder. Therefore, the irreversible capacity, which is a capacity that does not discharge even when charged due to increased reactivity with the electrolytic solution, is increased, and the proportion of wasted capacity of the positive electrode is increased. The upper limit of the average particle diameter is preferably 40 μm or less, more preferably 35 μm or less. When the average particle diameter exceeds 50 μm, the lithium free diffusion process in the particles increases, so that rapid charge / discharge becomes difficult. Further, in the secondary battery, it is important to increase the electrode area in order to improve the input / output characteristics. For this reason, it is necessary to reduce the coating thickness of the active material on the current collector plate during electrode preparation. In order to reduce the coating thickness, it is necessary to reduce the particle diameter of the active material. From such a viewpoint, the upper limit of the average particle diameter is preferably 50 μm or less.

(Atomic ratio of hydrogen atom to carbon atom (H / C))
H / C is measured by elemental analysis of hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms. Since the hydrogen content of the carbonaceous material decreases as the degree of carbonization increases, H / C tends to decrease. Therefore, H / C is effective as an index representing the degree of carbonization. H / C of the carbonaceous material of the present invention is 0.10 or less, more preferably 0.08 or less. Especially preferably, it is 0.05 or less. When the ratio H / C of hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms exceeds 0.10, there are many functional groups in the carbonaceous material, and the irreversible capacity may increase due to reaction with lithium.

(Alkali metal element content)
The alkali metal element content of the carbonaceous material of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.05 to 5% by weight. The lower limit of the alkali metal element content is more preferably 0.5% by weight, the upper limit is more preferably 4% by weight, still more preferably 3% by weight, and most preferably 1.5% by weight or less. is there. If the alkali metal element content is too high, the carbonaceous material becomes strongly alkaline, and the PVDF of the binder may gel or adversely affect the charge / discharge characteristics. Therefore, it is preferable that the attached alkali metal is removed by washing the alkali metal and the alkali metal compound to make 0.05 to 5% by weight.

[2] Negative electrode for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery << Manufacture of negative electrode >>
In the negative electrode using the carbonaceous material of the present invention, a binder (binder) is added to the carbonaceous material, and an appropriate solvent is added and kneaded to form an electrode mixture. It can be produced by pressure molding after coating and drying. By using the carbonaceous material of the present invention, it is possible to produce an electrode having high conductivity without adding a conductive auxiliary agent. When preparing the agent, a conductive aid can be added. As the conductive auxiliary agent, acetylene black, ketjen black, carbon nanofiber, carbon nanotube, carbon fiber or the like can be used, and the addition amount varies depending on the type of conductive auxiliary agent used, but the added amount is small. If the amount is too large, the expected conductivity cannot be obtained, and this is not preferable. If the amount is too large, the dispersion in the electrode mixture deteriorates. From this point of view, the preferred proportion of the conductive auxiliary agent to be added is 0.5 to 15% by weight (where the amount of active material (carbonaceous material) + the amount of binder + the amount of conductive auxiliary agent = 100% by weight). More preferably 0.5 to 7.0% by weight, particularly preferably 0.5 to 5.0% by weight. The binder is not particularly limited as long as it does not react with an electrolytic solution such as PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), polytetrafluoroethylene, and a mixture of SBR (styrene-butadiene rubber) and CMC (carboxymethylcellulose). Among them, PVDF is preferable because PVDF attached to the surface of the active material hardly inhibits lithium ion migration and obtains favorable input / output characteristics. In order to dissolve PVDF and form a slurry, a polar solvent such as N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) is preferably used, but an aqueous emulsion such as SBR or CMC can also be dissolved in water. When the amount of the binder added is too large, the resistance of the obtained electrode is increased, which is not preferable because the internal resistance of the battery is increased and the battery characteristics are deteriorated. Moreover, when there is too little addition amount of a binder, the coupling | bonding with negative electrode material particle | grains and a collector is insufficient, and it is unpreferable. The preferred addition amount of the binder varies depending on the type of the binder used, but is preferably 3.0 to 13.0% by weight, more preferably 3.0 to 10.0% by weight for the PVDF binder. is there. On the other hand, a binder using water as a solvent is often used by mixing a plurality of binders such as a mixture of SBR and CMC, and the total amount of all binders used is preferably 0.5 to 5.0% by weight. More preferably, it is 1.0 to 4.0% by weight. The electrode active material layer is basically formed on both sides of the current collector plate, but may be on one side if necessary. A thicker electrode active material layer is preferable for increasing the capacity because fewer current collector plates and separators are required. However, the larger the electrode area facing the counter electrode, the better the input / output characteristics, and the thicker the active material layer. Too much is not preferable because the input / output characteristics deteriorate. The thickness of the active material layer (per one side) is not limited and is in the range of 10 μm to 1000 μm, preferably 10 to 80 μm, more preferably 20 to 75 μm, and particularly preferably 20 to 60 μm. is there.
The negative electrode usually has a current collector. As the negative electrode current collector, for example, SUS, copper, nickel, or carbon can be used, and among them, copper or SUS is preferable.

[3] Nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery When the negative electrode material of the present invention is used to form the negative electrode of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, other materials constituting the battery, such as a positive electrode material, a separator, and an electrolytic solution, are not particularly limited. It is possible to use various materials conventionally used or proposed as a nonaqueous solvent secondary battery.

(Positive electrode)
The positive electrode includes a positive electrode active material, and may further include a conductive additive, a binder, or both. The mixing ratio of the positive electrode active material and other materials in the positive electrode active material layer is not limited as long as the effect of the present invention is obtained, and can be determined as appropriate.
The positive electrode active material can be used without limiting the positive electrode active material. For example, a layered oxide system (expressed as LiMO ₂ , where M is a metal: for example, LiCoO ₂ , LiNiO ₂ , LiMnO ₂ , or LiNi _x Co _y Mn _z O ₂ (where x, y, z are composition ratios) ), Olivine-based (represented by LiMPO ₄ , M is a metal: for example LiFePO ₄ ), spinel-based (represented by LiM ₂ O ₄ , M is a metal: for example LiMn ₂ O ₄ ) Compounds may be mentioned, and these chalcogen compounds may be mixed as necessary.
In addition, a ternary system [Li (Ni-Mn-Co) in which a part of cobalt of lithium cobaltate is replaced with nickel and manganese, and the stability of the material is improved by using three of cobalt, nickel, and manganese. NCA-based materials [Li (Ni—Co—Al) O ₂ ] using aluminum instead of O ₂ ] and the ternary manganese are known, and these materials can be used.

The positive electrode can further contain a conductive additive and / or a binder. As a conductive support agent, acetylene black, ketjen black, or carbon fiber can be mentioned, for example. The content of the conductive assistant is not limited, but is, for example, 0.5 to 15% by weight. Moreover, as a binder, fluorine-containing binders, such as PTFE or PVDF, can be mentioned, for example. The content of the conductive assistant is not limited, but is, for example, 0.5 to 15% by weight. Further, the thickness of the positive electrode active material layer is not limited, but is, for example, in the range of 10 μm to 1000 μm.
The positive electrode active material layer usually has a current collector. As the negative electrode current collector, for example, SUS, aluminum, nickel, iron, titanium, and carbon can be used, and among these, aluminum or SUS is preferable.

(Electrolyte)
The nonaqueous solvent electrolyte used in combination of these positive electrode and negative electrode is generally formed by dissolving an electrolyte in a nonaqueous solvent. Examples of the non-aqueous solvent include propylene carbonate, ethylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate, diethyl carbonate, dimethoxyethane, diethoxyethane, γ-butyllactone, tetrahydrofuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, sulfolane, and 1,3-dioxolane. These can be used alone or in combination of two or more. As the electrolyte, LiClO ₄ , LiPF ₆ , LiBF ₄ , LiCF ₃ SO ₃ , LiAsF ₆ , LiCl, LiBr, LiB (C ₆ H ₅ ) ₄ , or LiN (SO ₃ CF ₃ ) ₂ is used. In secondary batteries, the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer formed as described above are generally immersed in an electrolytic solution with a liquid-permeable separator made of nonwoven fabric or other porous material facing each other as necessary. It is formed by. As the separator, a non-woven fabric usually used for a secondary battery or a permeable separator made of another porous material can be used. Alternatively, a solid electrolyte made of a polymer gel impregnated with an electrolytic solution can be used instead of or together with the separator.

《Optimum structure of negative electrode material》
The optimum structure as a negative electrode material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is that first, the negative electrode material has voids that allow a large amount of lithium to be doped and dedoped. The voids of the carbonaceous material have a pore structure having a wide range of pore diameters, but the pores into which the electrolyte can enter are not considered as stable potential sites for lithium because they are electrochemically regarded as the outer surface. The lithium storage sites are pores in which the electrolytic solution is difficult to enter, and the pores that can reach all corners of the pores when lithium is doped. Lithium is reachable from corner to corner, but it is natural that lithium diffuses through the carbon skeleton, but in the process, it is a pore that allows lithium to diffuse into the carbon while expanding the carbon hexagonal plane. Also good.
The optimum structure as a negative electrode material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery is a structure that allows the irreversible capacity, which is the difference between the doping capacity and the dedoping capacity observed at the initial stage of the doping and dedoping reactions, to be small. That is, the structure is such that there is little decomposition reaction of the electrolytic solution on the carbon surface. Since the graphite material is known to decompose the electrolyte solution on the surface, the carbon skeleton is preferably a non-graphite material. Moreover, since it is known that an edge surface is rich in reactivity in the carbonaceous material, it is preferable to suppress the generation of the edge surface in the process of forming the pore structure.
The negative electrode material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention is obtained by firing an alkali-added carbonaceous precursor, and has a true density of 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm ³ , so that It is considered that the structure has a void that allows doping and dedoping of a large amount of lithium, and further, there is little decomposition reaction of the electrolytic solution on the carbon surface.

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described by way of examples, but these do not limit the scope of the present invention.
The physical property values of the carbonaceous precursor (“hydrogen / carbon atomic ratio (H / C)”, “oxygen content” and “true density”), and carbon for the non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention are shown below. Physical property values (“hydrogen / carbon atomic ratio (H / C)”, “specific surface area”, “true density determined by butanol method”, “average particle diameter by laser diffraction method”, and “alkali metal element” Although the measuring method of "content" is described, the physical-property value described in this specification including an Example is based on the value calculated | required with the following method.

<< Atomic ratio of hydrogen / carbon (H / C) >>
Measurement was performed in accordance with the method defined in JIS M8819. From the mass ratio of hydrogen and carbon in the sample obtained by elemental analysis with a CHN analyzer, the hydrogen / carbon atom number ratio was obtained.
《Oxygen content》
Measurement was performed in accordance with the method defined in JIS M8819. The mass percentage of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen in the sample obtained by elemental analysis using a CHN analyzer was subtracted from 100, and this was used as the oxygen content.

"Specific surface area"
The specific surface area was measured according to the method defined in JIS Z8830. The outline is described below.
Approximate formula derived from BET formula

Was used to calculate v _m by the one-point method by nitrogen adsorption (relative pressure x = 0.2) at liquid nitrogen temperature, and the specific surface area of the sample was calculated by the following formula: specific surface area = 4.35 × v _m ( m ² / g)
(Here, v _m is the amount of adsorption (cm ³ / g) required to form a monomolecular layer on the sample surface, v is the amount of adsorption actually measured (cm ³ / g), and x is the relative pressure.)
Specifically, using a “Flow Sorb II2300” manufactured by MICROMERITICS, the amount of nitrogen adsorbed on the carbonaceous material at the liquid nitrogen temperature was measured as follows.
The sample tube is filled with a carbon material, and the sample tube is cooled to −196 ° C. while flowing a helium gas containing nitrogen gas at a concentration of 20 mol%, and nitrogen is adsorbed on the carbon material. The test tube is then returned to room temperature. At this time, the amount of nitrogen desorbed from the sample was measured with a thermal conductivity detector, and the amount of adsorbed gas v was obtained.

《True density by butanol method》
In accordance with the method defined in JIS R7212, measurement was performed using butanol. The outline is described below. In addition, both the carbonaceous material obtained by heat-processing a carbonaceous precursor at 1100 degreeC, and the carbonaceous material of this invention were measured with the same measuring method.
The mass (m ₁ ) of a specific gravity bottle with a side tube having an internal volume of about 40 mL is accurately measured. Next, the sample is put flat on the bottom so as to have a thickness of about 10 mm, and then its mass (m ₂ ) is accurately measured. Gently add 1-butanol to this to a depth of about 20 mm from the bottom. Next, light vibration is applied to the specific gravity bottle, and it is confirmed that large bubbles are not generated. Then, the bottle is put in a vacuum desiccator and gradually exhausted to 2.0 to 2.7 kPa. Keep at that pressure for 20 minutes or more, take out after bubble generation stops, fill with 1-butanol, plug and immerse in a constant temperature water bath (adjusted to 30 ± 0.03 ° C) for 15 minutes or more. Adjust the liquid level of 1-butanol to the marked line. Next, this is taken out, the outside is well wiped off and cooled to room temperature, and then the mass (m ₄ ) is accurately measured. Next, the same specific gravity bottle is filled with only 1-butanol, immersed in a constant temperature water bath in the same manner as described above, and after aligning the marked lines, the mass (m ₃ ) is measured. Moreover, distilled water excluding the gas that has been boiled and dissolved immediately before use is placed in a specific gravity bottle, immersed in a constant temperature water bath as before, and the mass (m ₅ ) is measured after aligning the marked lines. The true density (ρ _Bt ) is calculated by the following formula.

(Where d is the specific gravity of water at 30 ° C. (0.9946))

《Average particle size》
Three drops of a dispersing agent (cationic surfactant “SN Wet 366” (manufactured by San Nopco)) are added to about 0.1 g of the sample, and the sample is made to conform to the dispersing agent. Next, after adding 30 mL of pure water and dispersing with an ultrasonic cleaner for about 2 minutes, particles with a particle size distribution measuring device (“SALD-3000J” manufactured by Shimadzu Corporation) with a particle size in the range of 0.05 to 3000 μm are used. The diameter distribution was determined.
From the obtained particle size distribution, the average particle size D _v50 (μm) was _{defined as the} particle size with a cumulative volume of 50%.

《Alkali metal element content》
In order to measure the content of alkali metal elements, a carbon sample containing a predetermined alkali metal element is prepared in advance, and an X-ray intensity corresponding to each alkali metal element and the content of alkali elements are prepared using a fluorescent X-ray analyzer. Create a calibration curve for the relationship with the quantity. Next, the X-ray intensity corresponding to the alkali metal element in the fluorescent X-ray analysis is measured for the sample, and the content of the alkali element is determined from the calibration curve prepared previously.
The fluorescent X-ray analysis was performed under the following conditions using a fluorescent X-ray analyzer manufactured by Rigaku Corporation. Using the upper irradiation system holder, the sample measurement area was within the circumference of 20 mm in diameter. A sample to be measured was placed, and the surface was covered with a polyethylene terephthalate film for measurement.

Example 1
A 70 kg petroleum pitch having a softening point of 205 ° C., an H / C atomic ratio of 0.65, and a quinoline insoluble content of 0.4%, and 30 kg of naphthalene are charged into a 300 liter pressure vessel equipped with a stirring blade and an outlet nozzle. The mixture was heated and melted. Thereafter, the heat-mixed petroleum pitch was cooled and pulverized, and the obtained pulverized product was poured into water at 90 to 100 ° C., stirred and dispersed, and cooled to obtain a spherical pitch molded body. After most of the water was removed by filtration, the spherical pitch molded body was extracted and removed with n-hexane. The porous spherical pitch thus obtained was heated and oxidized while passing heated air to obtain a porous spherical pitch that was infusible to heat. The oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) of the porous spherical oxide pitch was 6% by weight.
Next, 200 g of an infusible porous spherical oxide pitch was pulverized for 20 minutes by a jet mill (AIR JET MILL; MODEL 100AFG), and a pulverized carbonaceous precursor having an average particle size of 20 to 25 μm was obtained. The obtained pulverized carbonaceous precursor was impregnated with a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution in a nitrogen atmosphere, and then subjected to dehydration treatment under reduced pressure, and 7.0% by weight of sodium hydroxide with respect to the pulverized carbonaceous precursor. A pulverized carbonaceous precursor impregnated with was obtained. Next, 10 g of the pulverized carbonaceous precursor impregnated with sodium hydroxide is put into a horizontal tubular furnace in terms of the mass of the pulverized carbon precursor, pre-fired by holding at 600 ° C. for 10 hours in a nitrogen atmosphere, and further 250 ° C. The carbonaceous material 1 was prepared by heating up to 1150 ° C. at a temperature rising rate of / h and holding at 1150 ° C. for 1 hour to perform main firing. The main firing was performed in a nitrogen atmosphere with a flow rate of 10 L / min. The average particle size of the obtained carbonaceous material was 19 μm.

Example 2
A pulverized carbonaceous precursor prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 was impregnated with a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution in a nitrogen atmosphere, and then subjected to heat dehydration treatment to give 15.0 to the pulverized carbonaceous precursor. A ground carbonaceous precursor impregnated with weight percent sodium hydroxide was obtained. Next, 10 g of the pulverized carbonaceous precursor impregnated with sodium hydroxide in terms of the mass of the pulverized carbonaceous precursor was pre-fired in a nitrogen atmosphere at 600 ° C. for 10 hours and allowed to cool. The pre-calcined carbonaceous precursor was put in a beaker, thoroughly washed with deionized exchange water to remove the alkali metal compound, filtered, and dried at 105 ° C. in a nitrogen atmosphere. The carbonaceous precursor washed with water was heated to 1100 ° C. at a heating rate of 250 ° C./h in a nitrogen atmosphere, held at 1100 ° C. for 1 hour, and subjected to main firing to prepare a carbonaceous material 2. The main firing was performed in a nitrogen atmosphere with a flow rate of 10 L / min. The average particle size of the obtained carbonaceous material was 19 μm.

Example 3
The procedure of Example 1 was repeated except that the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) was changed to 8% by weight instead of 6% by weight, and the temperature of the main baking was changed to 1200 ° C instead of 1150 ° C. Thus, a carbonaceous material 3 was prepared. The average particle size of the obtained carbonaceous material was 19 μm.

Example 4
The oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) was 13% by weight instead of 6% by weight, the alkali addition amount was 1.0% by weight instead of 7% by weight, and the main firing temperature was 1150 ° C. Instead, the carbonaceous material 4 was prepared by repeating the operation of Example 1 except that the temperature was 1200 ° C. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 20 micrometers.

Example 5
Except that the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) was 13% by weight instead of 6% by weight and the alkali addition amount was 2.4% by weight instead of 7.0% by weight. The operation of 1 was repeated to prepare a carbonaceous material 5. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 20 micrometers, and alkali metal element content was 1.5 weight%.

Example 6
The carbonaceous material 6 was prepared by repeating the operation of Example 5 except that the temperature of the main firing was changed to 1200 ° C. instead of 1150 ° C. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 20 micrometers.

Example 7
Except that the average particle size of the carbonaceous precursor was changed to 20 to 25 μm to 11 μm, the procedure of Example 6 was repeated to prepare a carbonaceous material 7. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 9 micrometers.

Example 8
Except that the average particle size of the carbonaceous precursor was changed to 20-25 μm to 6 μm, the procedure of Example 6 was repeated to prepare a carbonaceous material 8. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 5 micrometers.

Example 9
A carbonaceous material 9 was prepared by repeating the operation of Example 6 except that the alkali addition amount was 7.0% by weight instead of 2.4% by weight. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 20 micrometers.

Example 10
Example 6 except that the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) was 14% by weight instead of 13% by weight, and the alkali addition amount was 15.0% by weight instead of 7.0% by weight. The carbonaceous material 10 was prepared by repeating the above operations. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 20 micrometers.

Example 11
The oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) was changed to 18% by weight instead of 6% by weight, the alkali addition amount was changed to 30.0% by weight instead of 15.0% by weight, and the main firing temperature was set to 1100. The carbonaceous material 11 was prepared by repeating the operation of Example 2 except that the temperature was changed to 1200 ° C instead of ° C. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 21 micrometers.

Example 12
The procedure of Example 3 was repeated except that the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) was 18% by weight instead of 8% by weight, and KOH was used instead of NaOH as the alkali metal compound to be attached. A carbonaceous material 12 was prepared. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 21 micrometers.

Example 13
The procedure of Example 1 was repeated to prepare a porous spherical oxide pitch having an oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) of 18% by weight instead of an oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) of 6% by weight, and this was prepared in a nitrogen atmosphere at 500 ° C. To obtain a porous spherical carbonaceous precursor. Next, the porous spherical carbonaceous precursor was pulverized in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain a pulverized carbonaceous precursor having an average particle size of 20 to 25 μm. The operation of Example 1 was repeated except that the pulverized carbonaceous precursor was changed to 15.0% by weight instead of 7.0% by weight, and 1200 ° C instead of 1150 ° C. Thus, a carbonaceous material 13 was prepared. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 21 micrometers.

Example 14
The coal-based pitch was pulverized to an average particle size of 20 to 25 μm, and then heated and oxidized while passing heated air to obtain a pulverized carbonaceous precursor that was infusible to heat. The obtained ground carbonaceous precursor had an oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) of 8% by weight. The obtained pulverized carbonaceous precursor was impregnated with a sodium hydroxide aqueous solution in a nitrogen atmosphere, and then subjected to dehydration treatment under reduced pressure, whereby 7.0% by weight of hydroxylated with respect to the pulverized carbonaceous precursor. A ground carbonaceous precursor impregnated with sodium was obtained. Next, 10 g of the pulverized carbonaceous precursor impregnated with sodium hydroxide is put into a horizontal tubular furnace in terms of the mass of the pulverized carbon precursor, pre-fired by holding at 600 ° C. for 10 hours in a nitrogen atmosphere, and further 250 ° C. The carbonaceous material 14 was prepared by heating up to 1200 ° C. at a heating rate of / h and holding at 1200 ° C. for 1 hour to perform main firing. The main firing was performed in a nitrogen atmosphere with a flow rate of 10 L / min. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 19 micrometers.

<< Comparative Example 1 >>
A comparative carbonaceous material 1 was prepared by repeating the operation of Example 3 except that the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) was changed to 16% by weight instead of 8% by weight, and no alkali addition was performed. did. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 20 micrometers.

<< Comparative Example 2 >>
A comparative carbonaceous material 2 was prepared by repeating the operation of Comparative Example 1 except that the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) was changed to 6% by weight instead of 16% by weight. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 19 micrometers.

<< Comparative Example 3 >>
A comparative carbonaceous material 3 was prepared by repeating the operation of Example 6 except that the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) was changed to 6% by weight instead of 13% by weight. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 19 micrometers.

<< Comparative Example 4 >>
Example 6 except that the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) was changed to 1% by weight instead of 13% by weight, and the alkali addition amount was changed to 50.0% by weight instead of 2.4% by weight. By repeating the above operation, a comparative carbonaceous material 4 was prepared. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 15 micrometers. An electrode was prepared using the obtained carbonaceous material, but the electrode performance was difficult and the battery performance could not be measured.

<< Comparative Example 5 >>
A comparative carbonaceous material 5 was prepared by repeating the operation of Example 13 except that the alkali addition amount was changed to 1.0% by weight instead of 7.0% by weight. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 19 micrometers.

<< Comparative Example 6 >>
The operation of Comparative Example 1 was repeated except that the oxygen content (oxygen crosslinking degree) was changed to 18% by weight instead of 16% by weight, and the temperature of the main baking was changed to 800 ° C instead of 1200 ° C. Thus, a comparative carbonaceous material 6 was prepared. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 20 micrometers.

<< Comparative Example 7 >>
Comparative carbonaceous material 7 was prepared by repeating the operation of Comparative Example 6 except that the firing temperature was changed to 1500 ° C. instead of 800 ° C. In addition, the average particle diameter of the obtained carbonaceous material was 20 micrometers.

Using the electrodes obtained in Examples 1 to 14 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7, non-aqueous electrolyte secondary batteries were prepared by the following operations (a) and (b), and evaluation of the electrodes and battery performance was performed. went.
(A) Preparation of test battery The carbon material of the present invention is suitable for constituting the negative electrode of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, but the discharge capacity (de-doping amount) and irreversible capacity (non-de-doping) of the battery active material. In order to accurately evaluate the amount) without being affected by variations in the performance of the counter electrode, a lithium secondary battery is configured using the electrode obtained above using lithium metal with stable characteristics as the counter electrode, Characteristics were evaluated.
The lithium electrode was prepared in a glove box in an Ar atmosphere. A 16 mm diameter stainless steel mesh disk is spot-welded to the outer lid of a 2016 coin-sized battery can, and then a 0.8 mm thick metal lithium sheet is punched into a 15 mm diameter disk shape. To be an electrode (counter electrode).
Using the electrode pair thus produced, LiPF ₆ was added at a rate of 1.4 mol / L to a mixed solvent in which ethylene carbonate, dimethyl carbonate and methyl ethyl carbonate were mixed at a capacity ratio of 1: 2: 2 as an electrolytic solution. In addition, a 2016-size coin-type non-aqueous electrolyte lithium secondary is used in an Ar glove box using a polyethylene gasket as a separator of a borosilicate glass fiber fine pore membrane having a diameter of 19 mm. I assembled the battery.

(B) Measurement of battery capacity About the lithium secondary battery of the said structure, the charge / discharge test was done using the charge / discharge test apparatus ("TOSCAT" by Toyo System). Here, in a battery using a lithium chalcogen compound as a positive electrode, the lithium doping reaction to the carbon electrode is “charging”, and in a battery using a lithium metal as the counter electrode like the test battery of the present invention, This doping reaction is referred to as “discharge”, and the naming of the lithium doping reaction to the same carbon electrode differs depending on the counter electrode used. Therefore, for the sake of convenience, the lithium doping reaction on the carbon electrode will be described as “charging”. Conversely, “discharge” is a charging reaction in a test battery, but is described as “discharge” for convenience because it is a dedoping reaction of lithium from a carbon material. The doping reaction was repeated until the equilibrium potential between the terminals reached 5 mV by repeating the operation of energizing for 1 hour at a current density of 0.5 mA / cm ² and then resting for 2 hours. The value obtained by dividing the amount of electricity by the weight of the carbonaceous material using was defined as the doping capacity and expressed in units of mAh / g. Next, in the same manner, an electric current was passed in the opposite direction to undope lithium doped in the carbonaceous material. In the dedoping, an operation of energizing for 1 hour at a current density of 0.5 mA / cm ² and then resting for 2 hours was repeated, and a terminal potential of 1.5 V was set as a cutoff voltage. A value obtained by dividing the amount of electricity discharged at this time by the weight of the carbon material of the electrode is defined as a discharge capacity (Ah / kg) per unit weight of the carbon material. Furthermore, the product of the discharge capacity per unit weight and the true density was defined as the discharge capacity per volume (Ah / L). Moreover, the discharge capacity per weight was divided by the charge capacity per weight to determine the charge / discharge efficiency. The charge / discharge efficiency was expressed as a percentage (%). The charge / discharge capacity and the charge / discharge efficiency were calculated by averaging the measured values of n = 3 for the test batteries prepared using the same sample.

The secondary batteries using the carbonaceous materials of Examples 1 to 14 to which alkali was applied showed excellent discharge capacity and charge / discharge efficiency. On the other hand, secondary batteries using the carbonaceous materials of Comparative Examples 1, 2, and 7 that were not subjected to alkali addition could not obtain a high discharge capacity. Further, the secondary batteries using the carbonaceous materials of Comparative Examples 3 to 5 having true densities of 1.61, 1.09, and 1.63 could not obtain a high discharge capacity.
The carbonaceous material of Example 5 contained 1.5% by weight of sodium metal element.

The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery of the present invention has a high discharge capacity and excellent charge / discharge efficiency. Therefore, it can be effectively used for a hybrid vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and an electric vehicle (EV).
As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated along the specific aspect, the deformation | transformation and improvement obvious to those skilled in the art are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

(1) an alkali-adding step of adding an alkali metal element-containing compound to the carbonaceous precursor to obtain an alkali-added carbonaceous precursor; and (2) the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor.
(A) main calcination at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, or (b) pre-calcination at 400 ° C. or more and less than 800 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, and in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere A main baking at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C.
A carbonaceous material obtained by a production method comprising:
The true density is 1.35 to 1.60 g / cm 3 , the specific surface area determined by the BET method by nitrogen adsorption is 30 m 2 / g or less, the average particle diameter is 50 μm or less, and the hydrogen atoms and carbon atoms determined by elemental analysis A carbonaceous material for a negative electrode of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery, wherein an atomic ratio (H / C) is 0.1 or less.
The carbon for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 1, wherein the carbonaceous precursor uses petroleum pitch or tar, coal pitch or tar, a thermoplastic resin, or a thermosetting resin as a carbon source. Quality material.
The firing step (2) (a)
(2) Firing step in which the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor is (a1) main-fired at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere and the alkali metal and the compound containing the alkali metal element are removed by washing. Or the firing step (2) (b)
(2) The alkali-added carbonaceous precursor is (b1) pre-fired at 400 ° C. or more and less than 800 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, and the alkali metal and the compound containing the alkali metal element are removed by washing; This is a calcination step in which the main calcination is performed at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in an oxidizing gas atmosphere, or (b2) is pre-calcined at a temperature of 400 ° C. to less than 800 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere. In this step, the main baking is performed at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C., and the compound containing the alkali metal and the alkali metal element is removed by washing.
The carbonaceous material for negative electrodes of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 1 or 2.
A negative electrode for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, comprising the carbonaceous material according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery comprising the carbonaceous material according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
(1) A compound containing an alkali metal element is added to a carbonaceous precursor having an oxygen content of 1 to 25% by weight, and the alkali addition of the compound containing the alkali metal element is 0.5 to 40% by weight. An alkali deposition step for obtaining a carbonaceous precursor, wherein when the oxygen content is 1% by weight or more and less than 9% by weight, the alkali deposition amount is 4 to 40% by weight and the oxygen content is 9 to 25% by weight; In the case, the alkali addition step in which the alkali addition amount is 0.5 to 40% by weight, and (2) the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor,
(A) main calcination at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, or (b) pre-calcination at 400 ° C. or more and less than 800 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, and in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere A main baking at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C.
A method for producing a carbonaceous material for a negative electrode of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery.
The carbon for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to claim 6, wherein the carbonaceous precursor uses petroleum pitch or tar, coal pitch or tar, a thermoplastic resin, or a thermosetting resin as a carbon source. A method for producing quality materials.
The firing step (2) (a)
(2) Firing step in which the alkali-added carbonaceous precursor is (a1) main-fired at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere and the alkali metal and the compound containing the alkali metal element are removed by washing. Or the firing step (2) (b)
(2) The alkali-added carbonaceous precursor is (b1) pre-fired at 400 ° C. or more and less than 800 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere, and the alkali metal and the compound containing the alkali metal element are removed by washing; This is a calcination step in which the main calcination is performed at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C. in an oxidizing gas atmosphere, or (b2) is pre-calcined at a temperature of 400 ° C. to less than 800 ° C. in a non-oxidizing gas atmosphere. In this step, the main baking is performed at 800 ° C. to 1500 ° C., and the compound containing the alkali metal and the alkali metal element is removed by washing.
The manufacturing method of the carbonaceous material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery negative electrodes of Claim 6 or 7.